Vaccines
WHO drops opposition to boosters – recommends third Pfizer jab for adults & two vaccines for children ages 5 & up.
25 Jan, 2022 | 09:45h | UTCRelated:
WHO updated roadmap for prioritizing uses of COVID-19 vaccines.
WHO advisers weigh in on COVID-19 boosters, Pfizer vaccine in younger kids.
A case-control study showed an increased risk of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination with a messenger RNA vaccine compared to an inactivated virus vaccine.
25 Jan, 2022 | 09:43h | UTCNews release: BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine associated with increased risk of carditis – American College of Physicians
Related:
[Preprint] Risk of myocarditis following sequential COVID-19 vaccinations by age and sex.
Heart-inflammation risk from Pfizer COVID vaccine is very low.
WHO updated roadmap for prioritizing uses of COVID-19 vaccines.
24 Jan, 2022 | 08:49h | UTCWHO SAGE Roadmap for prioritizing uses of COVID-19 vaccines – World Health Organization
Commentary: WHO: COVID boosters should start with most vulnerable – Associated Press
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
UPDATED: The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) have revised the Roadmap for Prioritising Uses of #COVID19 vaccines.
👉 https://t.co/FJFlMpBSSK pic.twitter.com/4SNH7ZpSwz
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January 21, 2022
RCT: Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of different vaccine boosters after a first J&J vaccine.
21 Jan, 2022 | 10:12h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Trial examined effects of boosting with one of the three approved #COVI19 vaccines — AD26.COV2.S, mRNA-1273, or BNT162b2 — 3 mos after the primary vaccination. All increased neutralizing-antibody levels & T-cell responses; mRNA vaccines were higher. https://t.co/qkpQFvNliJ pic.twitter.com/MUfa1OEsLP
— NEJM (@NEJM) January 19, 2022
WHO’s Emergencies expert group re-asserts stance against covid ‘vaccine passports’ for international travel.
21 Jan, 2022 | 10:02h | UTC
A populational-based retrospective cohort study in Qatar showed a reduced risk of Covid-19 breakthrough infections with the Moderna vs. the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine.
20 Jan, 2022 | 09:30h | UTCEffectiveness of mRNA-1273 and BNT162b2 Vaccines in Qatar – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
In two matched retrospective cohort studies comparing BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273, both were highly effective at preventing hospitalization & death. Breakthrough infections were lower among those who received mRNA-1273 than those who received BNT162b2. https://t.co/wgkrzfLNHz pic.twitter.com/E8hXIDFqWW
— NEJM (@NEJM) January 19, 2022
Placebo effect accounts for more than two-thirds of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events, researchers find.
19 Jan, 2022 | 08:53h | UTCOriginal Study: Frequency of Adverse Events in the Placebo Arms of COVID-19 Vaccine Trials: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis – JAMA Network Open
Commentary: ‘Nocebo effect’: two-thirds of Covid jab reactions not caused by vaccine, study suggests – The Guardian
WHO says there’s no evidence healthy children and adolescents need Covid boosters.
19 Jan, 2022 | 08:46h | UTCWHO says there’s no evidence healthy children and adolescents need Covid boosters – CNBC
COVAX delivers one billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose – but 41% of world remains unvaccinated.
18 Jan, 2022 | 09:56h | UTCSee also: COVID program delivers 1 billion doses to poorer countries – Associated Press
Related:
Is Covax finally going to vaccinate the world?
Perspective | A beautiful idea: how COVAX has fallen short.
WHO Launches Strategy to Achieve Global Covid-19 Vaccination by mid-2022.
WHO special envoys: To beat Covid, there’s a simple lesson – no one’s safe until everyone’s safe.
WHO COVAX Joint Statement: Call to action to equip COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021.
Covax: How will Covid vaccines be shared around the world?
[Not published yet] Study in Israel finds fourth COVID booster has limited efficacy.
18 Jan, 2022 | 09:59h | UTCSee also:
Israeli trial, world’s first, finds 4th dose ‘not good enough’ against Omicron – The Times of Israel
Israel study: 4th vaccine shows limited results with omicron – MedicalXpress
Case series of Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome after Covid-19 vaccination in the US.
18 Jan, 2022 | 09:41h | UTC
Shoulder injury related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration.
18 Jan, 2022 | 09:40h | UTCShoulder injury related to SARS-CoV-2 vaccine administration – Canadian Medical Association Journal
Is Covax finally going to vaccinate the world?
17 Jan, 2022 | 00:29h | UTCIs Covax finally going to vaccinate the world? – Vox
Related:
Perspective | A beautiful idea: how COVAX has fallen short.
WHO Launches Strategy to Achieve Global Covid-19 Vaccination by mid-2022.
WHO special envoys: To beat Covid, there’s a simple lesson – no one’s safe until everyone’s safe.
WHO COVAX Joint Statement: Call to action to equip COVAX to deliver 2 billion doses in 2021.
Covax: How will Covid vaccines be shared around the world?
Unvaccinated pregnant people are at higher risk for Covid complications and newborn deaths.
14 Jan, 2022 | 08:44h | UTCUnvaccinated pregnant people are at higher risk for Covid complications and newborn deaths – STAT
Original Study: SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccination rates in pregnant women in Scotland – Nature Medicine
COVID vaccines safely protect pregnant people: the data are in.
14 Jan, 2022 | 08:43h | UTCCOVID vaccines safely protect pregnant people: the data are in – Nature
Related:
COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy—number needed to vaccinate to avoid harm.
Editorial: Covid-19 treatments and vaccines must be evaluated in pregnancy.
AstraZeneca vaccination not linked to reduced fertility rates and adverse birth outcomes.
Study shows high effectiveness of the Pfizer mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in pregnancy.
5 Crucial Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines and Pregnancy.
CDC Guidance: Pregnant people should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cohort study: Pfizer/BioNTech COVID vaccine associated with 78% lower risk of Covid-19 in pregnancy.
Mapping the unvaccinated world – “If landmass reflected the number of unvaccinated people, this is what the world would look like”.
14 Jan, 2022 | 08:26h | UTCMapping the unvaccinated world – Pandemic
Observational study in adolescents showed the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine had an overall effectiveness of 94% against hospitalization and 98% against critical Covid-19.
13 Jan, 2022 | 09:00h | UTCEditorial: Sparing of Severe Covid-19 in Vaccinated Adolescents – New England Journal of Medicine
Study shows COVID-19 vaccines offer lasting protection against hospitalization and death.
13 Jan, 2022 | 09:01h | UTCNews Release: Study shows COVID-19 vaccines offer lasting protection – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
An observational study in South Africa estimates the Pfizer vaccine had an effectiveness of 70% against hospitalization for Covid-19 caused by the omicron variant.
13 Jan, 2022 | 08:56h | UTCCommentary: BNT162b2 still effective, but less so, against Omicron – HealthDay
RCT: A single dose of a novel adenovirus type 5 vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was safe and had 57.5% efficacy against symptomatic Covid-19 and 91.7% efficacy against severe disease in adults.
13 Jan, 2022 | 08:44h | UTCCommentaries:
Efficacy of an adenovirus type 5 vectored SARS-CoV-2 vaccine – The Lancet
How do death rates from COVID-19 differ between people who are vaccinated and those who are not?
12 Jan, 2022 | 09:02h | UTC
Commentary from the author on Twitter
Updated: Now the ratio is 20.
The COVID death rate among unvaccinated people is 20-times higher than among vaccinated people.
This is the latest age-standardized data from Swizerland.
[From our post with @redouad on death rates by vaccination status: https://t.co/nNmfYAk0m1] pic.twitter.com/dRwkOWIRBa
— Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) December 26, 2021
Cohort study: Among health care workers previously vaccinated with 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, receiving a third dose was associated with reduced risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection.
11 Jan, 2022 | 01:35h | UTCEditorial: Booster Vaccination to Reduce SARS-CoV-2 Transmission and Infection – JAMA
CDC Report: COVID-19 vaccine safety in children aged 5–11 Years.
9 Jan, 2022 | 01:09h | UTCCommentary: COVID-19 vaccine appears safe in children aged 5–11 Years – News Medical
Commentary on Twitter
Early vaccine safety data for children ages 5–11 years old found that reactions such as fatigue and headaches were commonly reported following Pfizer-BioNTech #COVID19 vaccine. Everyone ages 5 years & older should get vaccinated as soon as possible. https://t.co/D66QgLRWni pic.twitter.com/8I48L5GmcG
— MMWR (@CDCMMWR) December 30, 2021
[Preprint] Among individuals with prior SARS-CoV-2 infection in Brazil, vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization or death after vaccine series completion was 81.3% for CoronaVac, 89.9% for AstraZeneca, 57.7% for J&J, and 89.7% for Pfizer.
8 Jan, 2022 | 23:26h | UTCEffectiveness of CoronaVac, ChAdOx1, BNT162b2 and Ad26.COV2.S among – medRxiv
[In Portuguese] Commentary from one of the authors on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Já tive COVID, devo me vacinar?
Sim, sem dúvida. Como já dizíamos, agora com dados. Mostramos (preprint) que o ganho em proteção é muito grande. Para hospitalizações/óbito, após 2a dose:
➡️ 89.7% Pfizer
➡️ 89.9% AstraZeneca
➡️ 81.3% CoronaVacVacine-sehttps://t.co/Gzcb3cjirX pic.twitter.com/TRET1VQqQE
— Otavio Ranzani (@otavio_ranzani) December 29, 2021
[Preprint] Risk of myocarditis following sequential COVID-19 vaccinations by age and sex.
9 Jan, 2022 | 01:05h | UTCRisk of myocarditis following sequential COVID-19 vaccinations by age and sex – medRxiv
Note: this study is an updated analysis of a recent study published in Nature Medicine; see below: